Child's Play
by tatumtotem
Summary: Leo looked at Donnie over the top of the turtle tot's head. "Is this permanent?"


Donnie warned him – like he always did – not to go snooping around in his lab when he wasn't around. And what does the little bugger do? Went snooping around in his lab when he wasn't around, and got himself doused in an untested chemical he left out. When they burst through the door after all the commotion, it was to find Mikey doubled over covered in a blue liquid, and moaning in pain. His legs buckled, and his eyes rolled back, and Leo caught him before he hit the floor in a faint like a damsel in distress.

And now, the exam table they laid him on was empty. He and Leo left him after a quick assessment to inform Master Splinter, and Donnie returned to find Mikey gone. Or rather, snuck out without so much of a clean bill of health.

Donnie rubbed at his temples turning around to head out into the main room to find him, "I'm going to kill him."

"Who?" Leo met him at the door, neck craning to see over his shoulder into the lab behind him. He spotted the empty exam table. "Where's Mikey?" He nudged past his brother.

"I don't know, but he's probably in his room."

Raph stopped throwing punches at the practice dummy. "No, he ain't." he flexed his wrists as he walked over to join them. "I've been out here the whole time."

"Well, where else could he be?" Donnie gestured to the table top.

"This better not be a prank or I swear that little knucklehead is gonna - "

The sound of shattering glass cut off Raph's annoyed rant, and the three turned as one. A surprised gasp met their ears, and the sudden sound of pitter pattering feet flittered around the lab so fast that it was hard to pin point where it was coming from.

"Mikey… this ain't funny!"

Muffled giggles floated over to them, and bounced off the walls in fading echoes. Raph slowly ran a hand over his face in annoyance as he stalked off after Donnie to investigate the shards of his once whole beaker. Leo wandered off to the other side of the room. He smirked, shaking his head in slight amusement when he finally spotted the huddled form of his mischievous brother, crouched in on himself behind one of Donnie's work tool carts.

He began to approach him. "I see you, little brother."

At the sound of his voice, Mikey startled and poked around the cart. The sight that greeted Leo made him freeze in his tracks. His brother had always been small, but right now he was… smaller. Tiny, even! Like barely reaches up to his hips tiny. Round, naked eyes stared into his, so much bluer than he'd ever remember seeing them, orange bandana hanging around his neck like a scarf, and his normal spatter of freckles almost double in amount across his sea green skin.

He was…

"Guys!" The small tot ducked back behind his shelter as if in fear of them – of him. He didn't take his eyes away from the ones peering back at him. "I think I – I think I found him…"

Raph and Don flanked him on either side a few seconds later. He gestured with a nod at his twelve, and the two followed his stare to the small figure that was shyly watching them.

"Is that…"

"Mikey?!"

The little turtle whimpered now, and ducked slightly into his shell.

Leo felt his heart drop like dead weight so fast, he thought he was going to be sick. The complete lack of recognition from those electric eyes was a sucker punch to the stomach. He could practically feel Raph and Donnie's distress gently nudging at him like its own emotional presence with them in the room.

"Hey," Leo descended into a crouch. He offered a gentle smile. "We're not going to hurt you."

The lack of response didn't deter Leo in the slightest, but he could sense the fear radiating off the little version of his youngest brother in drowning waves.

"Do you know who I am – who we are?" You could hear a pin drop at the deafening silence that was so abnormal from their normally rambunctious brother. It was suffocating, and Leo could barely take in a whole breath because of it. "I'm Leo, and they are Raph and Don."

Donnie smiled softly. "Hi." he got a curious tilt of the head in response after he emerged from the safety of his shell.

Raph blushed crimson at the cute child-like movement, and crossed his arms. He growled, sending a sharp glare to his brothers at their sly smiles. "Hey, ya pipsqueak." He introduced gruffly, his face softening at the owlish blink he got in return.

Leo rose from his crouch, and took a step forward. Mikey locked his gaze back on him instantly, still pressed against the side of the work tool cart. His grip was so tight that the knuckles of his little hands were turning pale, but he seemed to be in awe of them just as much as they were of him.

"Is it okay if I come closer?"

He made a small gesture with one of his hands at his brothers who were huddled close on either side of him, and they immediately dropped back a few steps at his signal. Leo didn't want to scare him off. A frightened Mikey, as they all knew, was a hard one to catch, and even more so since he was pint sized.

He heard the sharp hitch of breath when he finally stopped an arm's length away him. Leo towered over him - he could imagine how Donnie would be in comparison – and then dropped to his knees to seem less intimidating. Mikey analyzed Leo up and down with wonder. His face scrunched up in adorable concentration as if thinking over something important. So, when he pushed off from the cart, Leo knew he had gained a small piece of trust.

He opened his arms out for his little brother. "We're brothers. Family."

Leo didn't move as Mikey took a tiny step, pausing for one long moment as if debating, and then, seemingly gathering up the courage, fell into the waiting arms. They folded easily around him, as they always did for little brothers, radiating nothing, but security, and warmth. Leo gathered him onto his lap, rocking him gently like he did when they were younger, and nightmares were the most of their worries instead of ooze that mutated humans into monsters.

Warm tears met his skin as Mikey burrowed his face into the crook of his neck. "I'm scared."

He pressed his cheek against the top of his head, feeling Raph and Don drop down around them, offering gentle soothing touches of assurance that Mikey soaked up like a sponge, and Leo murmured to the tot in his arms, "You're safe, Mikey. We're your big brothers. Nothing bad will happen to you while we're around."

"Is that my name? Mikey?"

"Yeah," A huff of a laugh bubbled out against his will. "That's your name."

When Mikey drifted off to sleep in the next few moments, exhausted from the emotional turmoil that crying did, he rose back onto his feet, stretching out his muscles as best as he could with the small turtle curled up against this plastron in his arms.

He looked at Donnie over the top of the tyke's head. "Is this permanent?"

"I can't say," Don walked over to his bench, taking a vial out his belt with a familiar blue ooze. "This was all that was left of the chemical. I never got a chance to test it out, but I'll fix this." The determination in his eyes promised it more than his words did.

* * *

Mikey woke up later, all traces of the shy and quiet hatchling they first met was replaced with a bright eyed and busy tailed ball of energy that ran around the lair in gleeful fascination.

And fascination breeds curiosity.

"Mikey, don't touch that!"

"No, get down from there!"

"Hand it over, Mikey."

Raph and Leo dropped onto the sofa, sinking into the soft, tattered cushions.

"And I thought regular Mikey was a handful."

They managed to settle the tyke down with a few slices of left over pizza from Antonio's. He sat on a stack of books, his legs swinging, and chirping excitedly at Donnie around a mouthful of food.

"How did sensei deal with four o' us?"

"Patience, my son." The familiar stern voice was full of amusement. "Lots, and lots of patience."

Mikey's eyes were comically wide when Master Splinter appeared. "Woah. Tall!" he stretched his arms high above his head to exaggerate.

Perhaps, it was the easiness he sensed from his brothers at the presence of their father because he showed no fear – in contrast with the turtles - as he allowed Master Splinter to pick him up under his arms. He eagerly explored the new findings he and his brothers didn't have when sensei pressed him to his hip. His small fingers gently tugged at ears, patted the whiskered snout, and shrieked into a fit of giggles when Master Splinter's tail flicked him affectionately under his chin.

"Soft." he contented himself with stroking the fur on Splinter's arms, and their father's face softened like butter.

He looked up at his older three sons. "How long?" he offered a smile when Mikey's hands tangled softly into his beard.

Donnie sighed as he stood from the table to clear up Mikey's plate. "Not sure. I have to start researching." His hands tightened at the edge of the sink after he dumped the dishes. "I'm sorry, sensei."

"No, my son." He winced at a harsh tug on his beard, and snatched at Mikey's wandering hands, shaking his head. His gaze returned to his inventive son. "I do believe Michelangelo had no business in your lab. Although, you should learn to put your chemistry away by now. No one is at fault here. Do not carry the blame onto your shoulders so easily, Donatello."

His spirits lifted at their Master's words. And Leo nodded his head vigorously in agreement.

"Now." Master Splinter turned around with the youngest still in his arms. "Time for practice."

As expected, he received mutual complaints, and he chuckled as he entered the Dojo.

* * *

This was the first time Mikey was able to sit in on practice. At first, they didn't want him to get hurt so they would rotate turns to watch him, but Mikey kept asking questions, trying to dig for answers, pestering them to see the, "Dojo! I wanna see Dojo! P'ease with sp'nkles on top!"

In the end, Master Splinter caved.

Mikey kneeled on the mat beside him, eyes round and charged with excitement. Sensei reached over to readjust the mask around the tot's eyes, but was unsuccessful in his attempts yet again as Mikey kept yanking it off. "Itchy! I dun like it." And it remained as an orange accessory for another day around his neck instead.

When practice began, the small turtle watched as his brothers performed leaps, flips, and jumps while their weapons danced with easy maneuvering like it was just another body part. Master Splinter had to explain to a horrified Mikey after Raph crashed Donnie to the floor that it was just practice. They were simply playing. Sparring. No one would get hurt.

When Donnie sat out, his mouth in a pout as Raph snickered in jest, Mikey clambered over, triumphantly slipping through Master Splinter's grabbing hands. "You 'kay? No hurt?" his head tilted to the side in concern.

"I'm not hurt, Mikey." He clarified, and patted his lap. Donnie shifted from kneeling into cross-legged as Mikey climbed into his lap, and together they watched their older brothers begin the last round.

Leo was once again victorious.

Mikey cheered, happily clapping his hands, and shot out Donnie's hold to plow at his oldest brother. Leo caught him easily around the waist, and he squealed as he was swung to sit atop his shoulders. "I wanna spa' too!"

"When you're older, okay?" Leo tried to pacify.

"When is older?" Mikey asked when Leo put him down.

Raph rubbed his head as he passed by. "When you can speak in full sentences, pipsqueak." He laughed when Mikey swatted at his hands.

"I speak full sen'ces!" he shouted at the red banded turtle. His previous want to spar, completely forgotten as he ran after him. "And I'm no pipsquee!"

* * *

"Le'nado! Look! Look!" An episode of Space Heroes was on, and Mikey had learned that it was his favorite tv show. He'd taken to calling for him whenever it aired. They would watch it together.

Mikey had taken a leaf out of Master Splinter's book, and called them by their full names. The three older turtles tried to reiterate their nicknames again, and again, but he'd smile big and say, "No! I wanna be like Mas'r Spln'er!" and their father glowed at the announcement.

Sometimes, he'd be holding a broken toy in his hands. And, with large eyes, "D'tello." And Donnie would drop what he was doing.

Raph's attitude didn't change, but he kept his temper in check more so than he used. It was rare to get an explosive episode from him nowadays. Especially, when their toddler of a brother would tug on his hand with a, "Waf'elle!" Raph would grit his teeth in annoyance, but melt at the freckled face shining with eagerness.

The water works turned on every evening like clockwork when it was time for patrol. Raph would leave him in charge of Spike. "I don't leave him with just anybody. Take good care of him. Okay, squirt?" a gem of a serious look was thrown in response as Mikey nodded dutifully.

They would return home late, tired, sweaty and sometimes a little beat up to the display of a sleeping Mikey balled up protectively around a snoozing pet turtle. Raph would smile fondly, green eyes gleaming with pride and carry the pair to their respective beds.

Donnie explained the chemical that Mikey spilled on himself was unsuccessful. "That means, his state isn't permanent. He should revert back on his own."

So, when Mikey doubled over in pain three weeks into his transformation, Leo snatched him up in his arms, settling him on one hip as he cried tears into his shoulder, and promptly passed out with a roll of his eyes.

"His vitals are fine." Donnie said, his voice heavy with relief. "He should turn back to his old self soon."

It was a full twenty-four hours later when, "Dudes!" Mikey stumbled clumsily from the lab into the main room, yawning, rubbing one eye. "Anybody got the plate of the truck that hit me?"

"Mikey! How do you feel? Any pain, nausea, dizziness? Do you remember anything?"

He halfheartedly pushed at Donnie's pressing fingers. "I'm fine, D! Scouts honor." He showcased his hand sign to cement the promise.

Donnie reached behind him. "Good."

 **Whack!**

"Ow! What was that for?"

"For snooping around in my lab."

Mikey pouted, rubbing the back of his head, and smiling when his brother pulled him into a hug.

"Glad to have you back, littler brother."

The rest of his family crowded around him. "Where did I go?"

* * *

 _Little Mikey was based off of my four year old nephew. All word pronunciation in this was him. He's adorable._


End file.
